Charleston, South Carolina (CNN) - Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is taking a day off from the campaign trail in South Carolina to return to the nation's capital to vote on a House Republican resolution on the nation's debt ceiling.

Paul's presidential campaign says the longtime congressman from Texas will head back to Capitol Hill Wednesday, to vote on a GOP proposal that would deny President Barack Obama's request to increase the nation's debt ceiling.

As part of last summer's deal to extend the country's debt ceiling, congressional Republicans demanded a provision to hold a vote on a resolution disapproving the move – which would give conservative lawmakers another chance to show their opposition, even though there's little chance the resolution would pass Congress and make it to the president's desk. The number two House Democrat Steny Hoyer called the vote a "charade."

Paul, who's making his third bid for the presidency, opposed last summer's agreement between the White House and Congress, saying at the time that "I have never voted to raise the debt ceiling, and I never will."

Tuesday, Paul's campaign used the candidate's departure from campaign trail to criticize some his rivals for the GOP nomination.

"Ron Paul is taking real action to stop the debt wherever he can while his rivals for the Republican nomination pay only lip service. Tomorrow's vote will divide leaders into two starkly different camps: the tax-and-spend establishment, and the true reformers who want to roll back decades of government enlargement, overreach, and irresponsibility," said Paul campaign Chairman Jesse Benton.

The campaign says Paul will return to South Carolina Thursday morning, in time for a CNN-Southern Republican Leadership Conference debate in Charleston that evening. Saturday is the Palmetto State's first in the south primary, the third contest in the primary and caucus calendar.

soundoff(53 Responses)

Larry in Houston

Doesn't matter who is in the white house next Jan – we're SUNK !! No matter who's IN . Once whomever is IN , within the next 3 years, IF we are around 18 Trillion – (and adding) it doesn't matter who's IN. They will not be able to stop it. Maybe we can do away with our real money -and start over with Monopoly Money ?? Or start over with another type of paper money ?? If we continue on, like we are doing, we're SUNK !!

RON PAUL 2012

or

OBAMA 2012 :-(

anybody else IS >worthless< Liars / Cheats / only for theirselves / not for the country /

January 17, 2012 09:20 pm at 9:20 pm |

loathstheright

Too bad they let complete loons get voted in by ignorant loons.

January 17, 2012 09:21 pm at 9:21 pm |

Ryan

Ron Paul is one of the only consistent politicians. Most politicians (Romney / Obama) say one thing and do the complete opposite.

January 17, 2012 09:22 pm at 9:22 pm |

Not here to rant

All I have to say is: Jesse Benton, that is a pretty slipshod job of spin doctoring. "Ron Paul is taking real action to stop the debt wherever he can while his rivals for the Republican nomination pay only lip service."

Let's look at the candidates: A former governor, a current governor, a former Speaker, a former Senator, and your man Paul. No wonder Ron Paul's the only one taking real action. He's the only one with a position that lets him!

There's my fact-check. (insert candidate here) 2012

January 17, 2012 09:27 pm at 9:27 pm |

ratpack007

I disagree with not raising the ceiling, but I admire that Paul backs up his talk with his actions. Rare in a politician. He deserves more attention.

January 17, 2012 09:47 pm at 9:47 pm |

Thomas

Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is a Republican not a Libertarian .

@Len Smith, Bush Started the 4 trillion dollar wars , Bush took a surplus and left a deficit .

You sound like a lost Michelle Balkman supporter , Remember, "Confusion before Clarity" , OBAMA 2012

January 17, 2012 09:50 pm at 9:50 pm |

American Sister

I currently work for a Fortune 500 financial company and I can say that it took a lot more than 6 years to get us into the economic hole we are in. If we must play the blame game, we have to lay it out in front of both political parties. Neither side has done much to try to fix or remediate the situation. I am seeing our freedoms being swept slowly aside, the constitution has no bearing or meaning and the American public's voice goes unheeded. No matter who wins as president, it is going to take us a quite a bit of time and years along with a good old fashioned dose of financial know-how to turn this country back around. We Americans have the right to take a stand, say enough is enough, and take back the control we once had- the voice of the people needs to be and must be heard!

January 17, 2012 09:50 pm at 9:50 pm |

Joe from CT, not Lieberman

Nice move on his part except that the vote doesn't matter. Congress already granted the President the power to raise the debt limit over any objection they make as part of the compromise package they approved last Fall! So this is all bluff and bluster on the part of Cryin' John and the Tea Partistas that have been telling him how he can run his Chamber and Mitch "My Agenda is to make Barak Obama a one-term President" McConnell. If this vote had any substance, the tally in the House would be 433 for and Bachmann and Paul against.

January 17, 2012 10:09 pm at 10:09 pm |

ExLonghorn

At least Ron Paul knows how to do his job. Obama voted "Not Voting, Absent, or Present" on over 70% of the bills that came up for a vote during his time in the Senate, and he only authored one bill during his entire six years there.

January 17, 2012 10:11 pm at 10:11 pm |

Brad

It's saying that all though campaigning is important, His obligation is to this country is first. It's a rather bright idea..I have a job to do first and foremost. Nice stance i'd say.. Do we see this with the other candidates?

January 17, 2012 10:14 pm at 10:14 pm |

ThinkAgain

Ron Paul is pathetic. He knows he'll be dead in 10 years and hopes that his ruinous ideas will be in place before he dies. What a sorry legacy he is striving for!

January 17, 2012 10:21 pm at 10:21 pm |

srh

Ron Paul is such a hypocrite. One can easily check the list of earmarks he's requested on his Senate web site and see that he regularly requests millions of our tax dollars for dubious projects in Texas.

January 17, 2012 10:26 pm at 10:26 pm |

ThinkAgain

@Len: "We have to pay for those taxcuts for the wealthy and for the wars started by President Obama in Iraq and Afganistan. Oh, at least President Bush left us with a hugh Surplus only to see Obama lose it all."

What you been smoking, Len? GW Bush started the wars; Clinton left the surplus that GW Bush squandered.

January 17, 2012 10:29 pm at 10:29 pm |

Nancy

You have to admire this man even though you might not agree with him. I've googled his record for the last thirty years and he has been consistent. This man never flip flops, which is why he won't make a great politician. This is called honesty and integrity, something clearly missing from the 2/1 party system.

January 17, 2012 10:55 pm at 10:55 pm |

rob

Ron Paul exists in these primaries only because the NYTimes led left wing media consider him a usefull idiot. Not one word of scorn of his "News letters" which were published with his name on them in the 90's which printed racially hatefull and anti semetic articles over and over again. If Ron Paul had any hope of attaining the GOP nomination, he would have been destroyed long ago by the NYTimes and the rest of the liberal media elites.

Mitt Romney will get the nomination and will get my vote. America is a better nation than the Democrats think it is. We will continue to be the beacon of freedom the world will look to in the future. We cannot settle for the decline the left feels is inevitable, we don't have to settle for less and less. We must strive to keep free market capitalism alive and thriving while holding up principals of individual liberty and freedom from repressive dictators.

Nov. can't come fast enough.

January 17, 2012 10:58 pm at 10:58 pm |

blink44

diridi, Romney paid 15% on his gains in the stock market, which everyone can invest in. I'm not sure why people make such a fuss about something they themselves can get involved in. There are things called penny stocks, people who worked at Pac Bell brought stocks for $1(years and years ago) and were able to retire in their 40's because of it. Stocks are not only for the rich, and there is no guarantee that money will be made, so why is it that people are expected to pay taxes on this money?? You should all be ashamed of YOURSELVES for acting as if this is only something the rich can do.

January 17, 2012 11:24 pm at 11:24 pm |

Kingfisher

Another day older and deeper in debt...

January 17, 2012 11:42 pm at 11:42 pm |

taxation

Yes tax the rich more 60% is way to low. You know cause the top 10% pays 90% off our taxes

January 17, 2012 11:48 pm at 11:48 pm |

Dustin

Bush screwed us really bad. Obama screwed us worse (NDAA anyone? Patiot act has nothing on that!). Now we have Obama, a proven liar who went back on all of his campaign promises (Gitmo is still open, we're in more debt, patiot act got extended, there were no tougher rules for lobbyists, he didn't restore the superfund program so polluters have to clean up their messes... looking at you BP, he didn't enact windfall profit taxes for oil companies, didn't introduce that comprehensive immigration bill the first year, he didn't make ending the iraq war "the first thing I would do, you can take that to the bank!"... I could go on, and on, and on.). The other GOP candidates are either Obama or Bush clones.

Ron Paul is the only difference in a field of lunatics. As Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.". Obama and Bush both failed us, so how can we expect different results by electing Obama or another Obama/Bush clone?

Ron Paul 2012. Elect REAL change.

January 18, 2012 12:07 am at 12:07 am |

Dan5404

Paul is proud of never having voted for an increase in the debt ceiling. I wonder if he's also proud of the fact that, in 23 years in congress he has only sponsored one minor bill that passed?Talk about being paid for doing nothing!

January 18, 2012 12:34 am at 12:34 am |

Anonymous

The stupidity of some of you frightens me... The people throwing around the word 'socialism' have no idea what its definition is. And it seems most of you haven't studied the slightest bit of history. I fear for my country.

January 18, 2012 02:29 am at 2:29 am |

SmallBusinessOwnerUnderAttackfromObama

RON PAUL 2012! I just can't say that enough! Never in my life have we had a REAL Statesman stand strong among a sea of Plastic Crooked Big Spending Self-Centered Morons who think they can spend us out of debt! RON PAUL or prepare for our upcoming COLLAPSE. The is the people's REVOLUTION for Freedom from the Big Spending Constitution Ignoring GOP/DEM Union of Crooks! Plasticman Flip-Flopping Mitt will never get my vote. If the GOP wants my Vote they had better offer me Ron Paul or forget about it!

January 18, 2012 03:01 am at 3:01 am |

Nancy

Had to re-write post since CNN has biased coverage against Ron Paul. Even though you might not agree with his ideas, this man has never flip flopped in his 30 year voting record. That is what I call honesty and integrity, which is something that is not seen in the 2/1 party system.

January 18, 2012 04:13 am at 4:13 am |

Nancy

@anni your diatribe is incomprehensible and your analogy is extremely poor. This admin has had 3 years, count them 3 years to fix this mess and it's the same as they first took office. Are you better off than you were 3 years ago. Not me. Heres a list of failures, healthcare mandated, cash for clunkers, tarp, monetary lending, debt, war,gitmo and the list goes on. The democraps in the house refuse to work with republicans and vice versa. They both keep introducing irrelevant legislation that has nothing to do with the bills at hand in order to block their passage. Face it, taxing the "rich" will not fix the economy. That is called being robinng hood and taking from someone to give to someone else. (read socialism)